Hi everyone,

Today in the sermon I made a joke about us being the most tired right before holidays, and let me tell you, today after the service really did drive my point home.

I won’t get into the gory details, but there is always so much stuff to think about, deal with, and arrange before leaving. There is stuff to clean (so you don’t need to clean when you get back), stuff to bring (so you don’t need to buy when you’re there), and stuff to make sure you leave behind (so you can buy their cheaper and better counterpart without wasting room in your luggage). Oh and don’t get me started on the luggage…

I know that, compared to probably the majority of you, I’m a novice at travelling. I think in my life time, I’ve only left the continent like 4 times (5 if you include Hawaii… maybe we’ll call it 4.5 times), and 3 of those times were to Asia (much of the parts we’re going to this time). So I’m both surprised and not surprised with how nervous I am. I am shocked with but I also understand this unease that I feel inside. I both did and did not see this anxiety I have inside coming.

But, if I look at the bigger picture, I am doing something that I am very privileged to do. Going somewhere that I’m lucky to go to. And spend time with some of the people that I love most in the world.

Nervousness, unease, and anxiety and all, I think it’ll be pretty worth it.

These are the readings for next week:
1 Kings 19:9-18
Psalm 85:8-13
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
and a video of them being read:

I am not sure if any of you have been on a boat at the night before. I haven’t, but I’d imagine that it’d be dark. I’m also not sure if any of you have been in heavy rain in the dark either. I have, and I can tell you that it’s dark. I don’t know if any of you have been on a boat at night while there is heavy rain, but I could only guess on how dark it’d be.

That is where the disciples find themselves in this gospel story. It would have been pretty scary. I think debilitatingly so, even. And to make matters worse, they see a ghost. At least, what they thought was a ghost.

We know the story, the thing that tipped their fear over the edge was the one who was going to save them. The mysterious figure walking on the water called them to have faith. The one they thought was a ghost was actually Jesus.

And Jesus caught Peter when his faith didn’t work out for him. Jesus calmed the storm before they could believe that it was really him. Jesus cared for them and took them to where they were going.

Such is this life that we are blessed with. In the storms of life, Jesus carries us. In the fears and anxieties, Jesus catches us. In our goings out and comings in, Jesus leads us, guides us, and remains with us.

This doesn’t mean that we won’t have fear, but it does mean that our fears needn’t get the best of us. Instead, we can confidently live our lives. We can boldly love our neighbours. And we can faithfully serve our God, who sees us, holds us, and saves us.

Thanks be to God! Have a great rest of your summer! I’ll see you when I return from holidays!